Erich's Sixteenth Birthday + Recipe | Coconut Cake

                                                      Happy Sixteeth Birthday Erich!
                                   May God bless you always.  We love you very much son!

   

      We celebrated Erich's birthday on Father's Day this year.  It's been pretty hectic this past week.  Erich was still in school until Wedneday and he had finals all week.   I worked Friday and Saturday night.  It just worked out better to celebrate his birthday on Father's day------Erich was born on Father's Day sixteen years ago!
      The three of us went to Romeo Sunday afternoon to pick the Packard up from the repair shop.  Then we went to Thee Office Pub & Cookery for lunch.  Erich went home with Keith.  I went to one of the antique stores downtown and then stopped at the fruit market on the way home.
      I spent the rest of the afternoon baking the Coconut cake, setting the dining room table and prepping the food for dinner.  Keith grilled filet mignon from the Amish market and asparagus.  I made my Roasted Baby Golden Potatoes, and jumbo shrimp cocktails for the boys. It was a nice evening so we ended up eating dinner on the patio for the first time this year.
   
Keith lit the candles for the cake---all sixteen of them!  We kept the fire extinguisher on standby!  lol

                           Erich still loves Hotwheels  I don't think he will ever out grow them.

Coconut Cake
                                                                                                                     Preheat oven 350* F
1  box Classic White cake mix  (I use Duncan Hines)
1  cup water
1/3  cup vegetale oil
3  large eggs  [I used the whites and yolks]
1  cup sweetened coconut flakes

      Butter and lightly flour two 9" round cake pans.  Line bottoms with parchment paper.  Butter top of parchment paper.    Prepare cake mix as directed on package.  Add coconut flakes and stir in with a spatula.  Pour batter in to cake pans.  Bake 23 --28 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the center of cakes.

Cool cakes in pans on rack for 15 minutes.  Remove cakes and cool completely before frosting.


Toasted Coconut Flakes

1  cup sweetened coconut flakes

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spread coconut flakes evenly on pan.  Place pan in preheated 350* F oven and bake 5-8 minutes.  Take sheet pan out of oven after 4 minutes and carefully toss flakes with spatula and return to oven until light golden brown.  Remove from oven and toss flakes again.  Allow to cool completely before sprinkling them on top of frosted cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1  stick butter, room temperature
8 ounces  cream cheese, cold from fridge
1  teaspoon vanilla extract
4  cups sifted Confectioner's sugar

Cream butter with electric mixer.  Add cream cheese and vanilla and mix together until light and fluffy.  Add Confectioner's sugar one cup at a time until well incorporated.  Frost cake.

Enjoy!
~Marcie